At least, I know I do!
I made my first Box around 2003
but my interest and fascination with them goes back considerably further...
Back in the early 1970's, I was one of those nerdy teenagers
who was into the the hoopla surrounding the World Chess Championship
between Bobby Fischer and Boris Spassky...
I had learned to play the game when I was eight
but Bobby F. inspired me to try to be better...
The point of all of this, is that my Parents bought me a Chess Set,
and it came in this marvelous little Box...

I loved that little box, and wanted to be able to make something like it!
Particularly, when I later got a larger set of pieces
and they came in a simple cardboard box...

It was, and has been, many years before I find myself able to replace that falling apart Box
with something like the old one...

It seems like I delve into the past on so many of these projects
and the Wood to be used for this is no exception...
My Parents, when they were still alive some 15 years ago,
had a next door neighbor who was a contractor
and he gifted me a nice pile of scraps from a job site...
Over the course of time they've almost all been used,
except for some 1 1/4" thick glue-ups of Oak...
One of these rests on top of my toy Table Saw,
and I have used that one extensively as a Work Table...

There was a smaller one, same length, but only about 10" wide
made from a two piece glue-up...
I cut it on the Band Saw along the glue line to get two solid pieces...

These pieces are going to be re-sawn, and it's a good idea to mark
the ends to keep track of them!
Before re-sawing, the edges were straightened out using the Table Saw...

After the "Auxiliary Fence" was attached,
cuts were made from both sides down the middle...

Before the remaining cut was made with the Band Saw
a new blade was installed, which made the cut very easy indeed...

I don't need all of the Oak for what I have in mind here,
but when the Milling is happening, especially with a nice new blade,
might as well carry on...

The Planer too, just had it's blades rotated,
which made very short work of planing these...

So I'm at point one on making this Box to hold Chess pieces...

Folks seldom see or realize, that work is required to make suitable wood first, 
before a Project ever even gets started...
Now comes the real Fun... :)

26 October 2025